Only geeks care that you stood next to WILL WRIGHT at an afterparty, but boy will they care. That's another way to see GDC - as GGA Guide to GDC continues - follow the big names! Smart people are just smart, and sometimes the topic of the panel doesn't even matter. Here are some of those speakers who have inspired me in the past.

For a superdose of heavyweight name recognition fun, you should check out the Game Design Challenge this year - it's the Emily Dickinson License. This is where top game designers present a solution to the problem, in this case creating a game out of the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Who's involved? Oh my gosh. Will Wright. Peter Molyneux. Clint Hocking. And everyone's favorite sassy rascal, Eric Zimmerman. can't wait to see what they come up with for "Because I could not stop for Death,/He kindly stopped for me".

Matsuura Masaya is another of my favorite speakers. Essentially the creator of the beat-matching genre, he was a musician and music producer before he made Parappa the Rapper. Last year's Mojibribbon was just lovely. He is able to explain better than nearly anyone else I know the feelings of playing a game, the experience of it, and why music plays such an important role.

Another industry veteran to check out is Raph Koster, who'll be speaking on GameDesign Atoms. Raph is a passionate, user-centered game designer whose talks in the past have explored how technical design can enhance gamer experience and how to build healthy communities in online games. He often weaves into his lectures personal anecdotes and to underline that gameplaying is an individual experience, and that should be respected by game designers.

Another powerhouse powwow: Burning Down the House. Once again we have Eric Zimmerman, joined by ranter/big thinker extraordinaire Chris Hecker, pioneering interactive designer Brenda Laurel, cranky intellectual-at-large Greg Costikyan, and eloquent, irreverent, just-as-cranky Warren Spector. The brainpower of this session is just staggering - and it'll be fun to hear them go off on current issues in game development.

Warren Spector joins another interesting group, Why Isn't the Game Industry Making Interactive Stories? which, in a way, seems like it would be a counterpoint to the previous discussion. Andrew Stern notes on his blog that the addition of Tim Schafer to the mix should lead to some sparks. Lots of us are looking forwward to Psychonauts for sure.

Tomorrow: Did we say sex? Yes we did. And there will be plenty of it GDC.